State: Two Sold Antique Car Data

Under The Scheme, Investigators Say, Two Title Examiners With The Dmv Sold The Data To A Dealer In New York State

June 24, 2006|By DAVE ALTIMARI; Courant Staff Writer

Two Department of Motor Vehicles employees were charged Friday with illegally selling information about Connecticut antique car owners to an out-of state auto dealer.

Jason Rodriguez and Omayra Vargas were both arrested following a seven-month investigation. Sources said that Rodriguez was receiving cash from the dealer and sex from Vargas in exchange for the information and that Vargas was receiving cash from the dealer, who was arrested in May.

Rodriguez, 36, and Vargas, 35, both of Hartford, are title examiners in the DMV's Wethersfield office. They were placed on paid administrative leave last week when DMV officials were notified arrests were imminent.

Both were arraigned in Superior Court in New Britain on Friday on charges of conspiracy to commit bribe receiving and illegal use of a state computer. Vargas also was charged with bribery. Rodriguez posted a $10,000 bond. Vargas is being held at the York Correctional Institution in Niantic and will appear in court again on July 7.

The car dealer, Richard Russo, 43, of Commack, N.Y., has been charged with bribery. It is unclear why so much time elapsed from his arrest to Friday's arrests.

``We take very seriously any allegations of fraud of state equipment or information and anyone caught in such a matter will be investigated by this department and state police and prosecuted to the fullest,'' DMV spokesman William Seymour said.

State police released few details of the scheme, other than the investigation was handled by the Motor Vehicle Task Force that has been investigating licensing fraud in DMV offices in Fairfield County, mostly the Bridgeport office. A Bridgeport woman, Lizbeth Blaiso, 26, also was arrested Friday on bribery charges for her alleged role in the licensing scheme.

State police emphasized the two investigations are not connected.

Sources familiar with the Wethersfield case said Rodriguez was providing information on the owners of antique cars, mostly Corvettes, to Vargas, who was then providing the information to Russo. It is unclear what the connection is between Russo and Vargas.

In exchange for the information, both Rodriguez and Vargas were allegedly getting cash from Russo, and Rodriguez was allegedly getting sexual favors from Vargas. Sources said many of the sexual acts occurred at DMV offices in Wethersfield.

Russo was using the information to contact car owners in Connecticut to see whether they wanted to sell their antique Corvettes, sources said.

Information concerning driver's licenses or titles to cars is not public information and can only be obtained by the people who own the vehicles. Sharing any of that information is illegal.

``This concerns me greatly,'' said Phil Hamilton, director of the Connecticut Council of Car Clubs. Hamilton said most antique car owners are notoriously secretive about what they own.

``It's troubling to think someone just gave away those addresses of not only what they own but where they live,'' Hamilton said.

Hamilton estimated there are between 5,000-6,000 antique car owners in the state who have special license plates issued by the DMV.

Rodriguez has been with the DMV since 1989 and earns about $41,000. Vargas has been with the DMV since 1999 and earns about $30,000, DMV officials said.

DMV sources said the scheme appears to be isolated to the two employees and involve only antique cars. The investigation is continuing.